LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Cautious Rabbits. The eradication of rabbits by the use of poison is apparently not as easy as it would appear, according to the opinion expressed by a farmer at the meeting yesterday in Masterton to discuss the formation of a rabbit board. “A property near Masterton,” he said, "is covered with poison, but rabbits are still swarming over it like vermin on a sheep’s back. They won’t touch the poison, and you cannot make them take it.’ Gifts to Red Cross.

A donation of £lOOO has been made to the Red Cross Society of New Zealand by Mrs T. H. Lowry, president of the society. The money will be added to a fund for financing the appointment of a director-general of Red Cross, whose main duties will consist of organisation and extension work as part of a programme suggested by Mr Louis de Gielgud, who recently visited New Zealand on behalf of the League of Red Cross Societies. Mrs Lowry recently made a donation of LIOOO to the League, and it was largely due to her that the league’s representative was brought from Paris to New Zealand Other gifts to the fund are £lOO each from Mr M. S. Spence, president of the Hawke’s Bay sub-centre, and from the Canterbury centre. j

An Unlawful Entry. Charged with unlawfully entering New Zealand at Wellington on March 22, three young Portuguese seamen from the British steamer Loch Don appeared in the Magistrates' Court at Auckland yesterday before Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M. They are Antonio Goaquin da Costa, aged 19, Arthur Teixeira Gaipo, aged 17, and Ornaro da Silva, aged 19. They were remanded until April 13. The police said that the ship would not be leaving Auckland until April 16.

German Nationals’ Vote. A plebiscite of German nationals on an issue affecting the future of their country was conducted in New Zealand yesterday. Twenty-five Germans and two Austrians, all either residents of or visitors to the Dominion, recorded their votes in favour of the union of Germany and Austria brought on by Herr Hitler's recent coup. There were no dissentients. This is the first time in the history of New Zealand that a plebiscite of this kind has been taken in the country. Count von Luckner was unable to return to Auckland, where the vote was taken on his yacht, and since no other plebiscite on the union will be held in New Zealand, he will not be able to record his vote. The yacht was taken to sea. beyond territorial waters, for the purposes of taking the vote.

Masterton Golf Club. A Stableford competition will be played on the Lansdowne links on Saturday and members are asked to arrange their own partners and opponents. School Bugle Band. The Masterton Central School bugle band made its initial public appearance, since commencing practice a fortnight ago, at the function in the school last night, and created a most favourable impression.

Electricity Charges. Charges for electricity were briefly discussed by the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday evening when the opinion was expressed that the rates should come down quicker for larger users. It was decided to approach the City Council. The American Coach. Arrangements have been made for Mr A. Fitch, the Wellington Amateur Athletic Centre's American coach, to return to New Zealand by October 1 under a joint engagement to the Wellington and Canterbury centres. . Mr Fitch is to sail from Auckland by the Niagara for the United States on April 19.

New Geyser Appears. A blow-out that occurred on the largest of the silica terraces at Ora-kei-Korako, near Rotorua, last Thursday night, has resulted in the appearance of another geyser. On Friday and Saturday the geyser was playing to a height of 10ft. at three-minutes intervals, but until further observations are made it will not be known whether this regularity will continue, .or whether the activity will decline when the force of the original blow-out is expended.

Growth of Hockey. There are 21 affiliated hockey associations in New Zealand and the number of hockey players is greater than ever before, according to the report of the New Zealand Hockey Association which will be presented at the annual meeting this month at Christchurch. “All the associations, with the exception of one,-are in a flourishing condition,” it states, “There are 5230 grade players, 656 secondary school players and 1219 primary school players, a total of 7105, which is the highest in the history of hockey in the Dominion.”

London Driving Licence. A London County Council driving licence, held by Mr W. A. Sutherland, secretary of the Automobile Association (Wellington), who has returned from a trip to England and the United States, appears somewhat wider in scope than one issued by a New Zealand local body. It entitles him to operate, in addition to a motor-car, truck, or cycle, heavy, and light locomotives, motor-tractors, .motor-tricy-cles equipped with means of reversing, trolly vehicles, track-laying vehicles steered by their own tracks, invalid carriages, mowing machines, agricultural tractors or vehicles controlled by pedestrians. Driving and Citizenship. The opinion that there was a close parallel between essentials bf good driving on the road and the essentials of good citizenship of a democratic nation was expressed by Sir Stenson Cooke, general secretary of the Automobile Association of Great Britain, at the weekly luncheon meeting of the Auckland Rotary Club. The good driver was mindful of his own individual duties, alert and cautious, tolerant and courteous to others. The reckless and arrogant, the selfish and careless, 'were not only bad drivers, but bad citizens. The main qualifica-: tion was one of character. The question was not whether a man was able to drive a car, but whether he was fit to do so.

Japanese Deceived. “The most noteworthy fact about Japanese expansion in China,” said the research secretary to the Institute of Pacific Relations, Mr W. L. Holland, in an address to the Timaru Rotary Club, “has been that in the past the Japanese leaders could count on finding sufficient corrupt Chinese officials who were willing, for generous considerations, to take the part of Japan and to.connive at attempt to take further territory. What has made the war so remarkable has been that this time the Japanese were completely deceived in assuming that they would have an easy conquest.” Mr Holland said that the resistance of the Chinese was having a big effect on the morale of the Japanese and that there was danger of an upheaval in Japan, which might compel a change of Government and a drastic change of policy.